


The Wolf

by Ambercreek



Category: Battlefield 4 (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Anxiety, Fix-It, M/M, Major Character Injury, Nightmares, Non-Verbal Characters, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-21 23:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8263651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambercreek/pseuds/Ambercreek
Summary: Dunn lives, that's all that matters.





	1. Chapter 1

"For the wolf to survive, he's gotta chew off his own leg."

 

They made it, the 4 of them, they all made it out alive - Barely. Recker lingers outside Dunn's hospital room, debating whether or not he should enter. Dunn was so badly injured when they brought him in. There was a little voice in the back of all their minds that he wasn’t  going to survive. 

But Recker just couldn’t leave him in the van to drown. His conscience would never allow him to sleep at night, knowing that, in some way, he could save the other man.

_ They managed to save the other's life. _

The Doctors were surprised on how Dunn hadn’t died of blood loss when they rushed him in. The diagnosis was an infection in his leg wound, several broken ribs, a punctured lung from one of the ribs, and of course blood loss, not enough for it to be fatal.

He almost died. He didn’t.

Recker has been begging the Doctors for days to let him see him - having to see the condition of his comrade. The doctor saw how much pain the Soldier was in over the other and he caved in.

“One hour,” The Doctor told him and here he was standing outside the room - stalling. Recker would be lying if he said he wasn't utterly terrified to see the state the other was in.

So Recker takes a shaky breath, trying to calm burning nerves as he slips into the room, the door closing with a soft click behind him.

The Sergeant's stomach dropped at the sight of the other man. Sickly pale with an almost-dead look in his face. The Staff Sergeant doesn't even look real like they replace him with some wax mannequin.

Taking another shaky breath, Recker takes his seat next to Dunn’s bed. Listening to the beeping Machinery, enough to keep him grounded, knowing that Dunn was still alive.

The Staff Sergeant’s eyes crack open a fraction, lips tugging upwards in an attempt to look like a smile, but it comes out more like a grimace.

“Recker.” His voice is rough and Recker tries to ignore the coiling in his gut.

“ **How do you feel?”** Recker signs. It takes a minute for Dunn’s brain to process what he signed. He was still rusty when it came to sign language. Though, he knew enough to have a good conversation with the Sergeant.

“Saying I felt like shit would be an understatement,” He pauses to cough a bit. Recker tries not to panic. “Let’s say, I feel like I’ve had a building crash on top of me.”

Recker swallows the lump forming in his throat, he really wishes that the other would not crack jokes about the situation.

**“I’m sorry.”** Recker's hands were shaking, he could feel wetness pooling at the corner of his eyes but blinked it away. He definitely can’t start crying openly in front of the older man.

“Why are you sorry?” Dunn asked. Clearly able to see how beat up the other looked, watching has he tried to control the shaking in his hands.

**“I could have done more, I could have -”** He cuts himself off because he can’t control his hands anymore. Balling them up into a fist and rests them on his thighs. Casting his eyes downward to stare at them. Unable to bring himself to look at Dunn. Because everything is reminding him of what he could have done.

The Sergeant's eyes look up to the others face when he felt a hand rest on his knee. Dunn looking at him with a very stern look, softness lacing around the edges. The thoughts attacking him become muted out.

“Now look, you did everything you could have. Nothing else would have made this better.” Dunn gives Recker’s knee a light squeeze. “Now will you stop that.”

Recker nods, he knows there was nothing else he could have done. That still doesn't make him wonder what other outcomes that could have come from this. If he did not amputate his leg earlier, when they got to the hospital the doctors would have. There was no way in saving the other's leg.

“Now,” Dunn chuckles dryly. “How are Pac and Irish?”

**“Both are fine, they are back at base.”**

Dunn lets his eyes shut and hums low from the back of his throat.

“Good to know. Glad all of us got out of there alive.” Recker can't stop the smile that forms on his lips. He ignores that slight hammering of his heart against his chest at the look at the Staff Sergeant. He leans over and rests a hand on Dunn’s shoulder.

**“I should get going. Get some rest.”**

“Sure thing, nurse .” he jokes and Recker laughs. He can hear the steady breathing of the other, guessing he must have gone back to sleep.

The Sergeant gets up from the chair, hearing his back pop and heads for the door. Stopping before opening it, looking back once more at the older man, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to hell my friends. Let me tell you, I fell in love with Dunn the first few seconds into the game and I can't believe they just kill him off like that. 
> 
> So I'm going to mend my broken heart by making a fix-it fic. LET ME LIVE!!!


	2. Chapter 2

When Recker got back to base, it was straight to briefing with Garrison. Thanking Irish for reminding him. So the intel was worth it after all. In the attempts of a Chinese military coup, Russia would be loyal to Admiral Chang.

There job was to pull the VIPs out of Zhi Towers safe and sound. Extraction being coordinated by Lazio W. Kovic.

_ And unless it was absolutely necessary, no firing their weapons. _

_ No room for mistakes. _

After the briefing was over, Recker headed right to bed. Most of his energy got drained from the whole thing with Dunn, and Garrison managed to strip away whatever was remaining. He was pretty sure he nodded off a few times during the briefing. Pac keep nudging him in the ribs to help him stay awake.

Recker passed out immediately when he got to his room, not caring about changing his clothes or taking a shower, all of that can wait til tomorrow.

_ This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen, Irish. _

_ Recker take my gun, It’s your’s now. _

_ Now Recker shoot out the window! _

_ That’s an order! _

_ Save yourselves! Get out of here! Get out of here. _

Recker jolts awake, breathing coming out ragged and quick, eyes dilated in fear - sweat clinging onto his forehead.

The Sergeant pulls his knees to his chest and buries his head into them. Shutting his eyes tight, trying to focus only on his breathing. Trying to take deep steady breaths.

Of course he wouldn’t be free from nightmares.

_ “He’s alive, he’s alive, he’s alive.” _ He chants over and over again, to reassure himself that they saved him, not leaving him pinned to the set in the car as it sank to the bottom of the lake.

It takes almost half an hour later before Recker managed to calm himself down from the panic attack. Leaving him just as tired as he was before. He knew the danger in going back to sleep, knowing he would be faced with the nightmares again.

He eyes the clock on the nightstand. 3:23 am, he gives a sigh. The Sergeant slips out of his room and heads for the rec - room.  Maybe if he was lucky, Pac or Irish would be awake, unable to sleep from the stress of the upcoming mission.

When he got near the room, there was the low buzz of the TV. Good, so someone was awake, or they  passed out on the couch and left the TV going, Recker hopes it was the first one.

Recker slips into the room and smiles, seeing Pac resting himself against the arm of the chair, eyes fixated on the screen in front of him.

He knocks lightly on the door frame and the other jumps. Head whipping around.

“Jesus, man you scared me, I would say ‘say something’ but that would just be a dickish move.” 

Pac shifts his position on the couch so the other can have room to sit.

Recker takes the offer and settles down onto the other half of the couch.

“So why are you up at this hour? You could barely keep your eyes opened during the briefing.” 

Pac raises an eyebrow. Recker feels a little sheepish and paws at the back of his neck.

**“Nightmares.”** he signs. Feeling a flush of embarrassment from bringing it up.

Recker likes to think of Pac as a close friend, someone he could freely talk about things like this. Both of them got along fairly well, since they were both the youngest members of Tombstone.

“Were they about Dunn?” He doesn’t blame him for having nightmares about the event. Hell all of them were in a near death situation, almost losing a teammate. That was stressful in itself.

Recker just nods. Darting his eyes away, he really hopes Pac drops this topic.

The younger man wraps an arm around the others shoulder and pulls him close. Recker tensed up at the contact, not expecting it.

“Understandable” Pac’s voice was light and full of generosity. It surprises him how Pac always knew how to make people feel better about a situation, like it was some kind of magical gift of his.

**“So why are you up?”**

“Insomnia my dude.” He chuckles.

Pac casually raked a hand through the other’s short brown hair, feeling as the other relaxed into the touch. Once tense shoulders dropping. His head resting on his shoulder. Eyes sliding shut.

Pac wished there was something more he could do for Recker. He didn't like having to watch from the distance as the other battle with the feeling he had for the Staff Sergeant.

He picked up a long time ago that Recker was in hopelessly in love with Dunn.

Pac feels sympathetic for him, because, Dunn is married, he has a wife. And Recker has to deal with that fact he will never have a chance with the older man..

That gives him an idea.

“Hey, Irish and I were thinking about going to see Dunn one more time before we head out to Shanghai. Care to tag along.”

Then the memory about earlier that day came rushing back. How Recker almost started to cry in front of him, remember how his hand shook. God it was so embarrassing to think about it.

Recker wanted to decline the offer, yet he felt like he needed to redeem himself for the way he acted early.

This might also be the last time he see’s him.

But he remember the way Dunn looked at him, the worry in his eyes, how he rested a hand on his knee, telling him he needed to stop thinking about the ‘what haves’ and think about the fact that none of those things actually happened.

**“Sure.”**

“Great!,” he looks over to the other, head still resting on his shoulder.

“And hey, I was wondering, if you are cool with it, would you mind me staying with you tonight?”

Recker raises an eyebrow.

“You know, just to make sure to be there if you have another nightmare. Calming down from a panic attack by yourself is a bitch.”

Recker thinks it over for a moment and gives a nod.

**“I’d like that.”**   
Pac smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a feeling there are a bunch of errors in this. but its 3 am here and i just want to get this chapter out before i got to bed


End file.
